KCRW Press Contact

Rachel Reynolds

About KCRW

KCRW 89.9FM, licensed to Santa Monica College, is NPR's flagship station for Southern California. The Santa Monica-based nonprofit represents cutting edge radio at its best, presenting an eclectic mix of independent music, news, talk and arts programming. The terrestrial signal serves Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura Counties, as well as parts of San Diego, San Bernardino, Kern, and Santa Barbara Counties and the greater Palm Springs area. KCRW’s programming is internationally renowned and available worldwide via KCRW.com, including three streaming channels, 27 podcasts and archives of our locally-produced programs and live band performances. Hear KCRW music online, all the time, on the ALL music stream Eclectic24.

Warren Olney Named Radio Journalist of the Year

SANTA MONICA, June 24, 2013 — Warren Olney earned Journalist of the Year in the radio category at the 2013 LA Press Club Awards. Of the win, the LA Press Club noted, “Olney and his team did a masterful job of remembering a traumatic period in the city’s history. Great job.” Olney was previously named Best Radio Journalist of the Year in 2001 when his signature show, “Which Way, LA?” also won Best Talk/Public Affairs Show.

This year, the “Which Way, LA?” team, led by Warren Olney and Managing Producer Sonya Geis, was also awarded best public affairs show for its special 20th anniversary coverage of the LA Riots. The five show series, which explored how Los Angeles has changed over the past 20 years, featured listener stories, special guests, and an interview by KCRW DJ Raul Campos with band Ozomatli about the riots’ effect on the LA music scene. The series can be found here.

In the radio documentary category, KCRW won for “The Couple in 303,” produced by Gideon Brower and Eric Drachmanabout a quiet, Santa Monica couple who turned out to be gangster Whitey Bulger and his wife. The entire piece first aired on UnFictionaland was funded through the Independent Producer Project. The story can be heard here.

KCRW contributors also won awards at this year’s ceremony. Gene Maddaus was named Print Journalist of the Year for his work at LA Weekly, while Gustavo Arellano won for Best Newspaper/Print Business Feature for his work at the OC Weekly.

The public radio station is partnering with Oscars® Outdoors, the Skirball and Levitt Pavilion for additional free, outdoors, all-ages events this summer.

SANTA MONICA, June 26, 2013 — KCRW’s Summer Nights series is already in full swing and the station is proud to announce four additional events across the city.

On July 28, KCRW will partner with the Academy’s Oscars Outdoors, the gold standard of open-air film venues, to present “Style Wars”, the iconic 1983 graffiti and hip hop culture documentary.

Unlike anything KCRW has ever done before, the incredible evening will feature street artists, b-boys, a Q&A with the film’s co-director Henry Chalfant, and host KCRW DJ Anthony Valadez, who will also spin before the screening. Actress Catherine Keener will talk briefly about her involvement in the restoration of the film.

It is a free event, but capacity is limited and reservations are required. RSVP HERE. Gates open at 6pm.

The public radio station will also present two Sunset Concerts at the Skirball Cultural Center – the highly acclaimed Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars on August 8 and Afro-Brazilian Master Percussionist and Singer Dendê and Band on August 29. Both evenings will start at 7pm and include opening sets from KCRW DJs.

On Saturday, August 25, KCRW heads to MacArthur Park for an evening with reggae sensation Rocky Dawuni and host DJ Jeremy Sole as part of Levitt Pavilion’s popular concert series.
Summer Nights programming continues through September with Downtown, Santa Monica, Chinatown and Westwood.

KCRW’s concert series collaboration with the Hammer Museum, “Music for Better Living”, launches this Thursday with a performance from AM & Shawn Lee and DJ sets from Music Director Jason Bentley and Dan Wilcox.

About KCRW: KCRW 89.9FM is an NPR affiliate serving Southern California and licensed to Santa Monica College. The public radio station represents cutting edge radio at its best, presenting an eclectic mix of independent music, news, talk and arts programming. The terrestrial signal serves Los Angeles, Orange, and Ventura counties, as well as parts of San Diego, San Bernardino, Kern, and Santa Barbara counties and the greater Palm Springs area. KCRW’ s programming is internationally renowned and available worldwide at KCRW.com. KCRW offers an all-music channel, Eclectic24, an all news channel and on-air simulcast. . Podcasts and archives of our locally-produced programs and live band performances are available on our website, as well as on our smartphone apps for the iPhone, Android and Blackberry. KCRW’s acclaimed Music Mine app for iPad is dedicated to music discovery.

Los Angeles Public Radio Station Continues Digital Expansion Efforts with “Music Mine” App

KCRW (89.9FM and KCRW.com) is excited to announce the launch of its renowned music discovery app, Music Minefor iPhone. Already available on iPad and Spotify, Music Mine for iPhone takes the magic of KCRW’s curated music selection and puts it directly into the listener’s pocket.

KCRW has long been known as a station that breaks new artists and the app brings the same spirit of discovery to users. Songs are updated daily in tandem with KCRW‘s on-air playlists, which are hand picked by the station’s world-famous DJs. Music Mine was developed in partnership with the Public Radio Exchange (PRX).

“We have always imagined Music Mine would be launched on the iPhone, especially given its success on iPad and Spotify. Our goal is to make KCRW’s brand of music discovery as portable and accessible as possible, with a human touch,” says KCRW Director of Web & Mobile Development Nathan Lubeck. “It’s like having your personal KCRW DJ in your pocket.”

The app also includes full shows by DJs, video from in-studio performances from KCRW’s flagship music program Morning Becomes Eclectic and access to Eclectic24, KCRW’s acclaimed all music stream.

“KCRW and PRX share a vision for connecting talented artists with audiences beyond broadcast,” says Jake Shapiro, CEO of PRX. “Music Mine is a shining example of what stations with a passionate purpose and curatorial prowess can achieve in the competitive mobile market.”

The special format of Music Mine allows users who don’t have a lot of time to put together their own listening experience without being overwhelmed by options. Listeners who want to delve into the world of KCRW playlists, Eclectic24 and MBE in-studio live performance videos can do so, through an paired down Music Mine interface designed specifically for the iPhone.

“It’s time to dispel the traditional notions of what radio is, and start imagining what radio can be. It’s not just about tuning in anymore,” says KCRW Director of Digital Content Strategy Betsy Moyer. “KCRW is putting the power in the hands of the listener.”

Music Minefor iPhone is the most recent example of KCRW’s continued investment in digital programming and multi-platform distribution. Mobile app development and distribution partnerships are key aspects of KCRW‘s goal to be wherever the audience is. In the last year, the station has launched such digital-only programs as, This…Is Interesting hosted by Left, Right & Center’s Matt Miller and The Organist, a collaboration with San Francisco publishing house McSweeney’s. Partnerships with streaming services like iHeartRadio, Spotify and TuneIn has put KCRW in a unique position among public radio stations.

KCRW remains evacuated after the tragic events that happened today in and around the campus of Santa Monica College. Some of the shots were fired right outside our offices, and we are relieved that our staff escaped harm. It’s never easy to leave the scene of a story unfolding before our news team’s eyes, but the safety of our staff will always be our paramount concern. Our hearts go out to those in the Santa Monica College community and surrounding neighborhood, of which we are a part. Even while evacuated, our news team continues to gather information and will report on the events as they develop.

SANTA MONICA, June 3, 2013 — Public radio station KCRW (89.9 and KCRW.com) returns as the media sponsor for the Twilight Concert Series at the Santa Monica Pier this summer and is pleased to announce an incredible lineup of musical guests. The concerts are part of KCRW’s free, all ages Summer Nights series and KCRW DJ will serve as hosts for each of the evenings.

The shows start on July 11 with station favorite Surfer Blood and take place every Thursday until September 12, with all shows starting at 7pm.

The Santa Monica Pier Corporation (SMPC) is a non-profit, public benefit corporation dedicated to preserving and enhancing the Santa Monica Pier experience for all visitors. For more information, visit, http://www.santamonicapier.org